ALWAYS AND FOREVER

Cross Pov

My day was going horribly, first I woke in a hotel room with my ex, and then I fought with my wife, and worst of all I have a major hangover to deal with and I needed to work, nothing could beat this.

Waking up to seeing Ginna didn’t go as I expected, first she was colder not the sweet loving girl I knew and loved, then when I asked her if anything happened between us, she said she did the job she was paid to do and no hard feelings, that had been all shade of wrong, and when I ask her what happened to her she told me to mind my business which I did alright, I was still amazed at how we met after nearly eleven years, and then there was Katherine, I left the hotel as soon as I had woke up to Ginna and left for work immediately, and when I had gotten here I had fallen asleep again and Kathy’s call had woke me up but she didn’t let me explain and just hung up on me, we will fix it when I get back home, right now I had to concentrate on my work.

“Thank you gentlemen men, I hope we will be seeing more of each other,”

I said as I rounded up another meeting.

“Yes, we will, But you need to rest Cross, you look like you will collapse anytime soon,”

Reuben one of the men I had the meeting with said and the others in the room agreed.

“I will, I plan on going home after our meeting, thank you for your concern,”

I answered and lead them out of my office, going back to my desk, I found that Katherine had been calling me, and was going to call her back when my phone rang.

“Hello, Cross speaking, who is this?”

“Hi, Cross, it’s Ginna,”

“Oh, what’s up!”

I asked, I gave her my number but with the way she had behaved I thought she won’t call, but I guess I was wrong.

“Nothing really, I just wanted to say Hi and to tell you that I saved your number,”

“Oh, alright, that’s good,”

I said I didn’t know the words to use, I was still shocked by our sudden meeting.

“Cross?”

“Yes?”

“I was wondering if we can meet up?”

I wanted to tell her no, I liked my life now and didn’t want to complicate it but this was Ginna, the only woman I have ever loved, so I couldn’t say no to her, I also wanted to know what happened to her, and why she ended up doing the kind of job she was doing.

“Sure, I was just about to leave the office, let’s meet up at the Cotte’s restaurant if you know where that is?”

“Yes,”

“Good, I will meet you there in twenty minutes,”

I said and the call ended, I thought of calling Katherine but then, I figured it would be better to just talk when I get home than talking over the phone, so I go off work and headed to the Cotte’s restaurant and bar instead.

“Hey,”

I greeted when I got there, Ginna stood up to hug me, she looked different than she did yesterday, more like the Ginna I knew, she didn’t have on heavy makeup like yesterday and was wearing a pair of faded jeans and crop top, her natural beauty which was one of the many things that had made me fall for her back then was on full display.

“I thought you won’t show up,”

She said as I sat down.

“Why? I told you I will,”

“Yeah I know, but you didn’t back then,”

“I did,”

“Yeah, but it was too late when you did,”

“Ginna,”

“I am sorry I am bringing up the past, ”

“No, it’s okay,”

“It’s being so long Ginna,”

“Yeah, I know right, I never thought we would meet again, but here we are,”

“Yeah,”

“I see you are now based in New York?”

“Yes, and it’s been long, I left Arizona ten years ago and have been in New York all this while, what about you Ginna? What happened to you? Why did you become a…,”

I couldn’t even get the word out of my mouth.

“A what? a hooker? I am not,”

“But yesterday,”

“That was a one-time thing, I needed the money and the girls I had been squatting with had talked me into going with them, I really needed the money so I had to, it’s just that once, not gonna happen again,”

She explained and I let out a sigh of relief, I didn’t like the thought of her being a hooker but then why was she short on fiance and why was she squatting?

“What happened? How is your mom?”

“Mom died, six years ago, her cancer got worst and we couldn’t afford the drugs and treatment anymore,”

“I am sorry for your loss,”

“Nah, it’s fine, it’s been over six years now, I don’t feel it anymore,”

“Why are you squatting?”

“Isn’t that obvious? Not everyone is lucky to be born rich and no matter how we work, we may never meet up to demand.

She replied and I felt stupid for asking her such a question when the answer was obvious.

“I am sorry Gin,”

“It’s been so long seen I heard that you were the only one that called me that,”

“Yeah,”

I replied, it was awkward, I just didn’t know what to say to her, I had so many questions but I didn’t want to say anything that might offend her, she looked so sad and alone and I felt guilty for not trying to find her, and make sure she was okay, all these while I thought she had become the doctor she said she would like to be, all these while I had pictured her as a doctor in a smart white coat, but this was different.

“What about you? What have you been up to?”

She asked after a long silence.

“I am the managing director of our company here in New York, have been working here for over ten years,”

I said, I didn’t feel proud about it though, I didn’t have to work myself up from the bottom, no, the company was handed to me, most college graduates would go for an internship but I had been handed a whole ass company, yes I have done great with it but still.

“Wow, that’s nice, getting a job right after college, to be you,”

“Did you go to college?”

“Do I look like I didn’t?”

“No, I don’t mean it like that,”

“I did go but had to drop out because I couldn’t meet up with anything, I had to care for my mom and our daily cost of living was nothing to write home about so I had to work too,”

She revealed, she must have gone through a lot, I have always known her family didn’t have much, her dad was never around and it has always been her and her mom, things were okay when they left Arizona, but back then her mom just got diagnosed, so yeah it would have gotten harder for them, I felt sad thinking about all she had to go through.

“Are you married?”

She asked pointing at the ring on my finger, which I have never removed since Katherine and I got married.

“Yes,”

I replied, watching her but she just nodded.

“I thought as much, dont worry, nothing happened between us last night, I just helped you because you were super drunk and I needed to sleep too, we just shared a bed nothing more,”

“Aha, thanks,”

I said and once again we were both silents.

“I have to go now, I have to get to my job,”

She said getting up, I checked the time and it was past seven pm.

“You work at night?”

“Yes, at a nightclub not far from here, it was good to see you again, I hope we see each other soon,”

She said, stretching out her hands for a handshake, I took it.

“I hope so too if you need anything you can call me,”

“Anything?”

“Yes, anything,”

“Okay, I will hold you up on that,”

She said picking up her purse, I paid the waiter for the drink we had and followed her out.

“I will drop you off,”

“No, no need, please, I am too embarrassed right now, thanks for the offer,”

“Alright,”

I said I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable by insisting.

“Thanks,”

She said and left, I watched her go until she turned the corner into the busy streets of New York, going back to where my car was parked, I got in and drop towards the house to face my wife, I was honestly not ready to exchange words with her which I knew was gonna happen, I have been gone for a whole day and even spent the night out, she was going to talk, I just hope I can keep calm and not fight with her.

“You finally remembered you have a home?”

Katherine asked when I finally got home, it took quite a while to get home due to traffic.

“Yes,”

I replied not wanting to pick a fight with her, she looked upset.

“Why are you not asleep yet?”

“I was, I just woke up when I had your car, so where have you been since yesterday?”

“Work,”

“Work? Do I look like a kid to you Cross?”

“No, you don’t, I was at work and that’s all you get from me,”

“Aha, yeah, where you going to say the truth before?”

“What truth? I was at work, I don’t have to explain anything to you, you are not my mother,”

“I am your wife!”

She yelled.

“Wife? You are forgetting your place again woman, wife, yes you are but you don’t have a right to question my whereabouts, I can do whatever I want and I won’t have you doubting my words,”

I shouted right back all my resolve to be calm going off the roof, who the fuck did she think she is to ask me such a question or did she forget our kid of marriage just because I have been playing house with her?.

“I wasn’t doubting your words I am saying you don’t need to lie,”

“, I wasn’t lying though,”

No, I wasn’t, even the dinner meeting was work-related but she wasn’t going to listen.

“Yeah, I know, sorry,”

She said and went upstairs.

“Wow, that was short and unexpected,”

I thought at loud, we have fought for longer, and she always had the final say-so why did she give up so easily?

When I got upstairs to our room, she was laying on her side of the bed with pillows as a barricade, I wanted to laugh but I knew that will upset her, so I gently took off my clothes, went to take a bath, and went to sleep on my side of the bed, we didn’t talk to each other when we woke up the next morning, but as I got ready for work, she suddenly came into the room and shouted my name.

“Cross!!”

“Yes, what?”

“You said you were at work?”

“Not again Katherine, I thought we left that yesterday,”

“Yes, but then I find out you were lying after all, and I was right,”

“What are you talking about?”

I asked, I honestly didn’t want a fight, it would ruin my day and I didn’t want to go to work upset.

“Do you mind explaining this?”

She said raising the magazine she had with her at me.

“Explain what?”

“You said you were at work, so what’s this?”

She asked throwing the magazine at me, the front page had a photo of me at the dinner party with the executives and also a photo of me with Ginna.

“Who is that woman Cross?”